Is Perfume Flammable?

What Is Perfume?

Perfume is the general term for a volatile, nice-smelling liquid or deodorant usually sold in aerosol cans or glass containers. When you spray perfumes, they evaporate quickly because of the alcohol (the evaporation is mainly because of ethyl alcohol) and other hydrocarbons they contain.

You can apply perfume to your body by spraying the liquid on strategic parts of your body. By this, we mean those parts of your body where odors easily spread, e.g., neck, shoulder, back, armpit, lower arm, wrist, etc.

Moreso, if you have a body odor and an ordinary roll-on for the armpit won’t do, you can try out perfumes before taking other necessary measures. Some perfumes have oriental fragrances that can leave your body smelling pleasant for a whole day or more.

Deodorants like body mist and body spray also work like perfume, but they don’t give off scents as strong and lasting as real perfumes. You can easily recognize a perfume bottle with the “perfume” inscription, irrespective of the brand.

And just like other deodorants, perfumes have different and surplus brands. Examples of some popular perfume brands include Tom Ford, Byredo, Chanel, Dior, Hermès, Jo Malone London, Bvlgari, Davidoff, and many more.

No one asks you to become a deodorant freak, but whether you like it, everyone needs perfume to present themselves well in public. However, is perfume 100% safe to use?

And hope using this odor-controlling liquid every day will not put you at a fire risk? We’ll address that in the next section.

So, Is Perfume Flammable?

A big yes! Perfume is a relatively flammable liquid that belongs to hazard class 3. Perfumes are flammable primarily because of their alcoholic content. Note that non-alcoholic perfumes can also catch fire, but not as rapidly as alcoholic ones.

Will All Perfumes Ignite?

Well, not all perfumes in the actual sense… Typically, alcohol is used to blend several aromas in the making of perfumes. Therefore, most perfumes seem to be ineffective without alcohol.

However, some perfumes’ ingredients have been adjusted such that they don’t contain alcohol and they still serve their purpose. Sometimes, non-alcoholic perfumes are better than alcoholic ones, in that they are ideal for sensitive skins since they won’t evaporate and irritate the skin like alcoholic perfumes.

A larger percentage of non-alcoholic perfume will not ignite. Some do not even burn at all. Some perfumes contain ethyl alcohol in higher concentrations, while some contain alcoholic supplements or low alcohol.

Mind you, the flammability of each perfume brand depends on its alcoholic volume. High-alcohol perfume is extremely flammable while low-alcohol perfume is less flammable.

At What Temperature does Perfume Catch Fire?

Moving on, the lowest temperature at which flammable substances like transmission fluid become ignitable in the presence of air and sparks or open blaze is known as its flash point. Both perfume sprays and perfume oil (fragrance oil) catch fire at the same temperature.

That said, the flash point for standard perfume oil usually falls between 141°F to 200°F. Note that this temperature can be higher sometimes.

Does Perfume Explode?

Most alcoholic deodorants like perfumes, aftershave, roll-on, hair spray, etc., are flammable. And as a result, they explode.

Scented products (perfumes) will thus catch flames like gasoline and explode in a tropical environment or when brought near any ignition sources. However, an explosion is likely to occur when the perfume is stored in a glass container.

When exposed to the sun or naked flames, the air inside the perfume bottle will stretch due to pressure. And when the air is fully stretched, the bottle will blow up and explode to counteract the pressure.

So, the short answer is yes, perfume can explode.

Is Bath and Body Works Perfume Flammable?

Yes, this product is highly flammable. Bath and body works perfume will burn readily and spontaneously when subjected to high heat.

Thus, always keep this product away from all ignition sources such as sparks, bare fire, tropical environment, etc.

What Constituent Of Perfume Makes It Ignite?

The answer to this question is straightforward.

Perfumes will not burn without alcohol. Thus, alcohol is that constituent of perfumes that causes it to burn.

Non-alcoholic perfume uses several blending oils in place of ethyl alcohol. These special oils, however, do not completely guarantee a perfume is non-flammable, they can only reduce the rate at which perfume flames up.

Impacts Of Alcohol On Perfumes

Alcohols have a lot of uses in perfumes. When used with some aromatic hydrocarbons, alcohols produce the best perfume products.

Most of the popular perfume brands out there use alcohol as their base ingredient. This is because it plays a huge role in the aromatic blending of perfumes.

Below are some impacts of alcohol on perfumes:

• Alcohols help to unify distinct aromas to produce a neutral scent.
• The alcohol in perfumes allows the fragrance to spread faster and effortlessly.
• Alcohol helps to preserve perfumes blend.

Final Recommendations.

Just like you’ve foreshadowed, perfume is a volatile and extremely flammable liquid. However, if stored properly, perfumes will not pose a fire risk in homes.

And the perfume will only start a fire in rare circumstances. But just in case you want to learn how to store perfume safely. Down here is a list of tips that can help.

Let’s explore:

• Keep perfumes away from all sources of electricity.
• Perfumes should be stored far away from tropical environments like the kitchen (an oven or cooker in a kitchen is a source of high heat).
• Fragrance oil in glass bottles should not be exposed to sunlight for long periods.
• Lastly, store perfumes in a cool and well-ventilated environment or fire-proof compartments.

You can visit here to study the safety data sheet for perfumes.